Steve Jobs Cleared to Raze Home

This story has been brewing for quite a bit of time now, but it looks like the green light is on. But before we talk about the current, let’s bring up the past.

The home pictured above was built by Daniel C. Jackling, who founded the Utah Copper Company. He was responsible for changing the process of refining copper, upping production and making a lot of people a lot of money. He built this 17,000 square foot casa back in 1926, and since then it’s seen quite the cast of characters. In ’56, Jackling died and then the house was sold a few times. Big name celebs and even presidents have come by the house from time to time, but the big name that you probably care about is Steve Jobs, who bought the house in 1984.

To say it was a little bit rough at the time would be an understatement, but he dealt with it for 10 years. Then he rented out the house for a bit, and in 2000, he left it vacant. So the plan was that he wanted to demolish the house and build a newer one in its stead, so he applied for a demolition permit in 2004. He got it, but then a historical group stepped in and begged him to keep the house as is. It went to court, and then it got a bit thicker. Steve has spent four years trying to find someone who could move the existing building, but didn’t have any luck. From an article in SFGate:

Weiner said Jobs presented evidence that it would cost millions of dollars more to renovate the mansion than to build his proposed new home.

She also cited an expert report on the continued deterioration of the building, which has suffered from rot, mold, decay, animal and bird infestations, and human vandalism, and is located 160 feet from a branch of the San Andreas Fault.

Back and forth this all went until today, when it was finally decided that Jobs can apply for a demolition permit again. But as it turns out, there’s a new offer to move the home. Whether or not Steve takes it is his call, but the big question is how much this all costs him. He’s good for the money, that’s for sure, but this could turn into a PR disaster if not handled correctly.